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Teacher’s name: Stern Date: November 1, 2007 Student ID: 103368045 Subject: Social Studies/English Grade Level: 9 Topic: Into the Wild Essential Questions/Big Ideas: How does geography affect humans? How do humans know exactly where they are on Earth? General Objective[s]: 1. NCSS Theme III: People, Places, and Environments: a. Refine mental maps of locales, regions, and the world that demonstrate understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape b. Create, interpret, use, and synthesize information from various representations of the earth, such as maps, globes, and photographs. c. Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools such as aerial photographs, satellite images, geographic information systems (GIS), map projections, and cartography to generate, manipulate, and interpret information such as atlases, data bases, grid systems, charts, graphs, and maps 2. Virginia SOLs: Virginia and United States History: a. WG.1: The student will use maps, globes, photographs, and pictures in order to a.) Obtain geographical information and apply the concepts of location, scale, and orientation; b.) Develop and refine his or her mental maps of world regions and c.) Create and compare political, physical, and thematic maps. Learning Outcome[s]: As a result of this lesson students will: Understand the basic concept of longitude and latitude. Know how to use longitude and latitude to find coordinates of specific locations in the world. Be Able To track the journey of Christopher McCandless throughout North America. Value the effect that geographical climate has on humans and their mobility. Assessment: Methods of Evaluating Student Progress/Performance: Formative: The hook that asks the students to record all the various stops during Chris’ journey is meant to find out what the students already know and which students have a better understanding of the book’s content. This information will help the teacher choose groups during the Mapping Activity portion of the lesson. When the teacher discusses longitude and latitude they should ask questions and take volunteers to walk them through the steps required to find a location’s coordinates. The teacher should feel very comfortable that the entire class understands how to do this before going on to the examples. Summative: The group work mapping activity will be used as a summative assessment. This will show their understanding not only of the content of the book, but also their mastery of the concepts of longitude, latitude, and coordinates taught in geography class. Students will be graded on their ability to work in a group, the overall clarity of their labeled map, the thoughtfulness of their answers regarding climate and the organization of their presentation to the rest of the class (See materials section of lesson plan for rubric). Future Summative: The students should be tested on the book Into the Wild in their English class very quickly after this lesson. The English teacher could choose to have them write an essay or answer questions regarding the book’s content. This should be done soon after this geography lesson because the information will be fresh in their minds and have a personal picture in their heads. Eventually, after learning more geography concepts such as topography and map scale, a future assessment of map interpretation should be conducted in their geography class. Content Outline: Prior to this lesson students will have a basic understanding of maps including legends, the compass rose, and discerning political versus physical maps. They also have learned specific climates and where in North America each are present. This geography work, in coordination with their English class which had them read Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild will provide the background knowledge necessary for this lesson. Note: This book is a true story and just recently became a major motion picture. Krakauer, J. (1996). Into the Wild. New York, New York: Random House, Inc. Plot Summary: The purpose of Jon Krakauer’s book is to address the matter of young Christopher McCandless and his odd seclusion from society and a lifestyle that was all most people could ask for. Coming from a well to do background in the Washington D.C. area, McCandless always had privileges that few can claim. McCandless was just entering society, having graduated from Emory University, with more than $25,000 in savings and a family that loved him. The question of why he would completely break contact with all that he knew, give away everything he owned, and disappear to the Alaskan wilderness as a homeless man for two years drives Krakauer’s work. Throughout the many years he spends on the road, McCandless meets and affects many people, though never long enough have a lasting impact or be lured away from his wandering. Citing classic hermits and renouncers of society such as Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, McCandless decides to live in the wild, without the advents of human society. Living in a bus in the midst of the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than some basic supplies, McCandless keeps a careful diary of his time, his thoughts, and his reasons for fleeing from society. Eventually, he makes the decision to return to society, but is unfortunately forced to return to his bus by a swollen river. In his final days, McCandless is weakened by hunger and the cold. He spends a little more than 100 days in the wild, all the while being suspected of causing damage on local cabin owners’ land, and finding himself stuck in his situation. He writes often of his reasons but eventually decides that nature is only a refuge for a short while, that true happiness can only be shared with others. In 1992, moose hunters in the Alaskan wild found McCandless’s body partially decomposed in his bus, the diaries and meager supplies still nearby. Initially, many thought he died from confusing potato seeds with a poisonous type of pea. Alaskans derided the foolishness of his endeavor, thinking he could possibly survive in the harsh Alaskan wilderness with nothing but his wits. There were many who spoke out adamantly against anyone who was foolish enough to try and survive in such conditions without survival equipment. Alongside the heartbreak of his parents and the public disdain for his ignorance, many try to make an example of him in a negative way. The author though believes he has lived a similar life and undergone similar instances as McCandless. With that belief, he offer his own personal story and attempts to parallel what has happened in his life with McCandless’s. In the process, he touches on many themes that cross everyone’s lives. There is the matter of the parent-child conundrum, and in it Krakauer manages to maneuver enough perspective into McCandless’s story to make it more about the general condition of youth than about McCandless’s individual situation and decisions. Hart, D. (2006). Geography Alive!: Regions and People. Palo Alto, CA: Teacher’s Curriculum Institute. Lines of Latitude Parallel the Equator: The global grid system is made up of two sets of imaginary lines. The first set of lines, parallels of latitude, run east and west around the globe. The equator is the most important parallel of latitude. It circles Earth exactly midway between the North and South poles. All other lines of latitude are parallel to the equator. Parallels of latitude are measured in degrees, with the equator marking 0 degrees latitude. Other parallels are measured with reference to the equator. Lines of Longitude Run from Pole to Pole: The other set of lines in the global grid are half-circles, called meridians of longitude, that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. These lines are not parallel to each other, so the distance between them varies. The most important of these north-south lines is the prime meridian which runs through Greenwich, England. Like parallels of latitude, meridians are measured in degrees, with the prime meridian marking 0 degrees longitude. The prime meridian is a reference for measuring other meridians. Latitude and Longitude Mark Absolute Location: The numbering system of the global grid helps make it easy for you to locate any place on Earth. Moving north from the equator, the parallels of latitude increase in number form 0 degrees up to 90 degrees North at the North Pole. A similar thing happens moving south of the equator, where the numbers of the parallels increase form 0 degrees to 90 degrees South at the South Pole. One degree of latitude covers about 69 miles or 111 kilometers. Meridians of longitude start form 0 degrees at the prime meridian. Traveling east from there, the numbers on lines of longitude increase until they reach 180 degrees at the International Date Line. These numbers are labeled east. The same thing occurs going west from the prime meridian. The numbers increase until they reach 180 degrees at the date line and are labeled west. The absolute location of any place on Earth can be described as the meeting point of a parallel of latitude and a meridian of longitude. The numbers of these lines are the geographic coordinates of a place. These coordinates are like a street address for your house. They tell exactly where that place is located. Student and Teacher Activities with Estimated Time Blocks: Actions of the Teacher Hook: (~15 minutes) Student Response Ask the class to take out their copies of Into the Wild. Then on a separate sheet of paper, have them write down each of the numerous locations that Christopher “Alex” McCandless stopped along his journey to Alaska. This should mostly come from their memory due to the fact that they recently completed reading the novel in their English class. However they may use their books if they want to. These locations do not have to be in chronological order at this time. Allow the students 7 minutes to formulate this list. Using their copy of Into the Wild as a reference, students should record each of the many stops Christopher “Alex” McCandless made along his journey. This should be done on a separate sheet of paper. Using the overhead projector, construct a class list of the numerous locations that Chris stopped throughout North America. Once the class list is complete have them set this list aside and take out a blank piece of paper to take notes. Students should raise their hands and volunteer answers. This should continue until all the answers the students came up with have been recorded on the class list. Students should copy down any locations that they did not have on their lists. Longitude and Latitude: (~20 minutes) Explain the terms longitude and latitude to the Students can ask questions as they need. They students. This can be done either by drawing should be taking notes on using longitude and visual representations on the overhead latitude in their INB’s. projector, or by finding the information online. Students should know that every specific location on Earth has its own specific longitude and latitude (or coordinates). Practice finding the longitude and latitude including the locations minutes and seconds. Below are examples of sites you could have the students look up and practice with. Using a basic map of the U.S. have students find the coordinates of New York City (40° 43’ 0”N, 74° 0’ 0” W), Las Vegas, NV (36° 10’ 30”N, 115° 8’ 11”W), Dallas, TX (32° 46’ 58”N, 96° 48’ 14”W), and their hometown or city (answers will vary). These coordinates can be approximated to the nearest 0.5°. Using either Google Earth on one of the laptops from the traveling internet center or their textbooks with U.S. and specific state maps, students can work in pairs to find the coordinates for each of these locations. They should write the steps it takes in order to find them in their INB’s. Go over the coordinates as a class clarifying any wrong answers or misunderstandings. Remind students of the steps they should follow when determining coordinates of specific locations: 1. Starting at the equator move either North or South. The number of degrees increases as you get farther away. 2. Start at the Prime Meridian and move either East or West. The number of degrees increases as you get farther away. 3. Estimate to the nearest 0.5° the location’s coordinates Students should volunteer their answers and correct any they got wrong. If they do not understand how a particular coordinate was determined, then they should ask the teacher to show them the process by which the location’s coordinates can be found. You can have the students practice by one of two ways: have them find the coordinates of a place you choose. Or give them the coordinates of a location and have the students determine which city you’re referring to. Group Work: (~45 minutes) Using the previously constructed list of locations that were visited by Chris on his way to Alaska, have the students break up into groups of three or four and begin a mapping activity. The groups will trace the route that Chris took during his two-year trip starting in May of 1990 when he graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Let the students know they should not only find the coordinates of each of the locations on the list, but put them in chronological order as well. The Using laptops students should work with group members to find the coordinates of the numerous locations that Chris visited along his journey. Students should use Google Earth, the internet and their textbook for help if need be or raise their hand to ask a question. groups need to also write a short blurb of information about the climate of the location Chris visited. Group work locations should include at least 1. Atlanta, GA 2. Fairbanks, AK 3. Carthage, SD 4. Salton Lake, CA 5. Detrital Wash, AZ 6. Gulf of California, Mexico 7. Grand Canyon, 8. Colorado River 9. Salvation Mountain (Slab City), CA 10. Stampede Trail 11. Abandoned Bus#142. Once the groups have located the locations via Google Earth and the internet, then they are to label a map of North America with the location names, coordinates, and some sort of organization that puts each one in its correct chronological order (i.e. arrows to show which places were visited and in what order). Have the students write out a brief paragraph about each location’s climate on the back of this map. Remind the students that they can also use the internet to find images of each of the locations if they have extra time. Students can use crayons or markers to label and color the map or to show Chris’ path through North America. The information they include should be organized and legible. Their labeled maps need to be turned in by the end of class. Once the students have begun, pass out copies of the Internet Mapping Activity Rubric (see materials). Remind them periodically that they should be following the rubric while completing this project. Closing Activity: (~20 minutes) Have the groups present their findings to the class. Discuss and debrief especially if there’s any inconsistencies among groups. Groups will present their findings to the rest of the class. They will briefly touch on each of the various locations they found in their book making sure to a.) identify the location’s coordinates, and b.) discuss the climate of that region. Materials Needed for the Lesson: 1. Traveling internet cart (w/ ~20 laptop computers) 2. Outline map of North America 3. Copies of Into the Wild 4. Copies of the Internet Mapping Activity Rubric 5. Accompanying pictures (to be shown online or projected) 6. Markers/Crayons 7. Textbook 8. pen or pencil Group Work Mapping Activity Worksheet: Accompanying Pictures: Chris “Alex” McCandless outside Fairbanks #142 (c. 1992) Outside Fairbanks #142 (c. 2006) Salvation Mountain (Slab City), CA Rubric: Out of a possible 12 points Teacher Comments: 3- Satisfactory ABILITY TO Students exhibit WORK IN positive work ethics GROUPS including sharing the workload and involving each group member in deliberation. Groups can also assign roles to ensure each part is complete. ORGANIZATION Map is clearly OF LABELED labeled with a legend MAP and a compass rose. The coordinates of each location are legible. 2- Average Group members participate only partially. Some deliberation takes place. Groups assign roles but don’t complete all the duties of each role. 1- Incomplete TOTAL Little or no /12 evidence of group work. Students mainly do the project separately and without any deliberation about content. Most of the coordinates are legible yet the map is missing either a complete legend or compass rose. Handwritten terms are not legible. Little or no evidence to suggest careful execution of map illustrations. Climate paragraph is nonexistent. Students make no effort to include climate information. Little or no evidence that any preparation was made for the presentation. CLIMATE PARAGRAPHS Concise and complete paragraphs about climate. Too little information about the location’s climate. CLASS PRESENTATION Groups execute a well-organized, thoughtful presentation that is creative. They allow for a question and answer session following their presentation. The group’s presentation is unorganized and out of order. The group does not know the answers asked of them following their presentation. Differentiation: Groups will be chosen depending on learning abilities. Place the gifted students in a particular group and give them more challenging work to do. An example of this would be to have them do higher order thinking activities such as giving possible reasons by Chris chose to visit particular places and how these look today. They should be asked to do more than simply write down the route he took and the specific coordinates. Instead they will focus more heavily on the climate of each area and specifically the temperatures between May and August near Healy, Alaska. With this information they should be asked to hypothesize how this region’s climate affected Chris’ mobility. The other students will work on similar tasks but without the extension. Do not expect as many locations to be included on the rest of the student maps as the gifted group. Subject Matter Integration/Extension: This lesson relies heavily on the students reading this book in their coordinating English class. This geography lesson would be appropriate upon completion of the book and while the information is still fresh in their minds. Jon Krakauer does a great job at intertwining geography, oral history, weather patterns, and earth science all into one book. By having the students read this book, they will be exposed to an interdisciplinary novel and need to take a closer look when analyzing its components. Reminding the students that geography plays a salient role in our lives is important and should not be overlooked. Just as Chris McCandless learned this, these students should do the same. I believe that writing and reading should stretch across the curriculum and overlap into all subject areas. This is a great way to incorporate literature and non-fiction/written documentaries into a history class. This lesson also serves as a great review tool for their English class assessment. Hopefully this will cause the students to be more eager to learn how to use coordinates and spark their interests as well. Being able to actually see the places that were written in this book paints a mental picture that can only aid in their understanding. This book could also be used to exemplify the process of analyzing oral history. Students could be asked to determine the techniques Krakauer used to learn the real story of McCandless. They could then be asked to do a similar project with members of the community. Reflections on Lesson Plan: This lesson plan is very basic and simple. It does a great job at not only incorporating technology and the use of the internet for researching locations on a map, but also perpetuating the interests of students across multiple areas of study. If teachers can get students excited about a particular assignment (or book in this case) then they can capture their willingness to learn and think more critically about the topic at hand. This lesson would require a lot of cooperation between the Geography and English teachers, yet if done correctly and with coordinated timing, the students would successfully learn about nonfiction literature, oral history, geography, weather patterns, climates, economics (because Chris has to find jobs along the way to pay for his food/camping gear), and even topography.